SOUTH-AFRICA 2010: Where is Quincy Owusu-Abeyie?

(Part Two)

If the coach could settle with Muntari, why not invite Quincy? What has Quincy done? Why do we treat him so badly?-Joey Danquah

It was with utter pain that I read through the list of players Milovan Rajavac invited for the Black Stars’ international friendly against Bosnia. If the G.F.A and Milo think Ghanaians don’t know what they are about, then they better think again! If the F.A officials and Milo think that Ghanaians who are them paying huge sums of money in salaries and bonuses are fools, then they better think again!

If players like Dramani, Matthew Amoah, and Eric Addo weren’t good nations cup materials, what makes them good world cup materials? Why has Milo invited them again? What is happening in this country? Amoah and Eric Addo were benched in most of our matches at the Nations Cup while Dramani was ignored in the final of that tournament against Egypt, basically because Milo felt he wasn’t good enough. So why has Milo capriciously re-invited them? I’m a Hearts of Oak fan but I wouldn’t mince words in saying that Philemon McCarthy is not good enough for the Black Stars. I find it hard to comprehend why he keeps getting invited to the national team at the expense of far better goal keepers like Sammy Adjei, Steven Ahorlu, and George Owu. At Angola 2010, an injured Richard Kingson was forced to continue playing despite being injured. This, indisputably, is due to the fact that Milo lacked faith in Philemon and Daniel Agyei who were back-ups for Kingson.

Someone should tell Milo that the stakes are high at the world cup- the greatest theatre of the game- and Ghana needs to have her best footballers present. What criteria does Milo employ in selecting players to the Black Stars? Why are players like Quincy Owusu-Abeyie, Eric Bekoe, Agogo, and Derek Boateng perpetually being overlooked? The decision to exclude a fine player like Quincy in spite of his phenomenal displays for Portsmouth this season can not be justified! Never since the exit of the legendary Abedi Ayew Pele has Ghana had a player as skillful and exciting as Quincy. Quincy proved this at Ghana 2008 and continues to do so at Portsmouth even today.

It is players like Quincy who are fast, direct, skillful and visionary, that Milo ought to consider first, as we prepare towards the World Cup. Needless to say, Quincy is a far better player than many current Black Stars players. The Dedes and co are good players, no doubt but they are yet to fully explode. They will be better off for the Black Stars in a few more years’ time. Why don’t we give players who have exploded the chance to play? Quincy is a world class player who brings invaluable skill and experience to the team, when given the chance. He is doing extremely well with Portsmouth and his coach Avram Grant hasn’t failed to praise him for that. It’s only logical that Milo invites him to contribute his quota to the team!

Milo ought to bring an end to his unnecessary gambling and experimentation. He should get serious for once and invite players on merit! An astonishing ninety-nine percent of Ghanaians are of the opinion that Quincy Owusu-Abeyie deserves to be in the Black Stars team, so what is Milo waiting for? Some times, I don’t blame Milo alone; I blame official of the G.F.A (especially) Nyantekyi who cajoled and wooed Quincy Owusu-Abeyie to play for Ghana but have capriciously and sophomorically neglected him when he needs Ghana most. Quincy at just 23, has been ostracized, despite performing excellently at Ghana 2008.This is highly unfair. And it’s imperative that Milo invites him for the next Black Stars friendly match.

Now, if Amoah isn’t a good enough for the Black stars, (at least Milo thinks so and that explains why he benched him throughout The Nations Cup in Angola) why shouldn’t Milo invite others like Eric Bekoe and Agogo to prove themselves? Why should Milo invite players he isn’t interested in fielding? That’s a waste of the taxpayer’s money!

It’s great news that Muntari, Prince Tagoe and Laryea Kingston have been recalled. They are quality players by all standards and they bring experience and quality- two things which were lacking at Angola 2010- to the team. Though the Black Stars are capable of doing well at the world Cup tournament in South-Africa, Milo and co cannot afford to be complacent as they have already begun doing. We need to prepare ourselves in the best possible way. Situations whereby players are invited to the national team on compassionate grounds must end. Players must be invited into the national team on merit. The best players should automatically be invited to represent the country. We must avoid the mistakes of Ghana 2008 and Angola 2010. Ghanaians ought to ensure that our employees, Milo ad officials of the G.F.A, go into the world Cup with our best possible squad. We are not going to accept any ‘kukuasa’ or ‘kululu’ this time around.

God bless our homeland Ghana! Samuel K. Obour samuelkwason@aol.com